


Easy Does It

by mercutiglo



Series: Tumblr Fics [8]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Martin is just loves jon, Sad times (at the el royale), VERY slight suicidal ideation, season two-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 21:53:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19159708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mercutiglo/pseuds/mercutiglo
Summary: 48: Life would be way easier if I were easier. (Fact.) [Tumblr Prompt]Jon just wants to protect his friends. (Very Season Two Jon vibes)





	Easy Does It

It wasn’t the first time that Jon had looked at the people he worked with and realized just how out of place he was from the very beginning. They were having a small meeting of the archival staff and while Jon was the Head Archivist, he was hardly paying attention while Elias was talking, choosing to zone out instead. He wasn’t entirely sure what was said, maybe it was some joke about Jane Prentiss that no one laughed at that put everything in his mind, but he was just thinking about the way the Archives had been before everything had fallen apart completely. 

 

It wasn’t as though it had been awkward between all of them, but it had certainly always felt like the others were a group of friends and then there was Jon, distanced a bit from them and only really invited into the group when he overheard something on accident, some plans to go out when they hadn’t realized he was in the room, the invitation only half-hearted and filled with the feeling that they were hoping that his answer would be the same as usual, “no thanks, you guys have fun.” 

 

But the invitations always felt a little different from one person. Jon was never a hundred percent sure about Martin’s intentions, but his invitations always felt more sincere than the others, a disappointment that seemed genuine instead of a coverup for relief. Sometimes it felt like Martin was the only one who really ever talked to Jon, ever bothered bringing him into the conversation. He could honestly be a little overbearing at times, not that Jon really mi-

 

“Jon?” Everyone was staring at him around the table, Martin sitting next to him with a hand on his shoulder, the one who said his name. He had no clue what they were all expecting from him, not sure what they were even talking about. He looked towards Elias, whose face was bored and annoyed at the fact that Jon did this every meeting. “He asked about the statement recordings, how they’re going,” Martin said quietly next to him, Jon turning his head around to look at where Martin was keeping notes of everything that was going on in the meeting, pen hovering above the paper as he looked up at Jon, gesturing for him to make his report. 

 

“Sorry, I just… Anyways, the recordings are going fine. Would help if the statements were categorized in genuinely any way possible, but that’s just part of the process of recording them at this point. But yeah, generally just. Fine.” The others rolled their eyes at him.

 

“Would having another person helping you record make it better? Easier?” Elias asked expectantly, trying to catch Martin’s attention even though he was busy writing down that everything was fine.

 

Jon shrugged. “It could, but I think there’s just so many that finding the most important ones right now is more of a struggle than recording them. Obviously they all need to get recorded at some point or another, but I think there’s something connecting some of them, and I’m trying to figure that out first.” He heard the pen scribbling next to him pause and he looked over to see Martin quickly turning back to look at the page, jotting down a few more notes.

 

Elias just smirked. “Very well then. Martin, make sure you help Jon out as much as you can with finding the statements he needs.”

 

Martin looked up at Elias, then over at Jon, whose face was mostly neutral if not a picture of exhaustion. “Of course, Elias.” 

 

The meeting continued on and Jon stopped paying attention once again, returning to his thoughts on how he had ruined all these poor people’s lives by connecting dots that should’ve stayed separated. He knew that most of these statements were given by people who were experiencing problems that had nothing to do with him, but he couldn’t help but feel responsible for some of their suffering as well. He just wanted to be able to do his job without having to feel like he was risking someone’s life, and without reading about people whose lives were already done for.

 

His thoughts had begun down a very dark path that reminded him far too much of the tunnels under the Institute when once again Martin’s hand on his arm brought him back around. It was just the two of them in the meeting room, the door closing behind Elias as he walked out. “Jon, are you alright? You seem rather…. Distant.”

 

“What? Oh. I, well. Just a bit tired, that’s all.” Jon rubbed at his face as he stood up from the table, and looked at Martin. “Did I miss anything all that important?”

 

Martin stood up as well, if a little hastily, and looked down at his notes. “Not really, just that there should be some people coming in throughout the week just to do some more to toughen up the Archives. Oh, and don’t go into artifact storage while they’re here, something’s been hungry in there and it’s best not to risk any other people’s lives.”

 

Jon just sighed. “Of course, more lives at risk, perfect.”

 

Martin knitted his eyebrows together, looking up at Jon. “Jon, are you sure you’re okay?”

 

“Well of course I’m not  _ okay _ , Martin. I work here.” Something inside him snapped, not that he meant it towards Martin, but he needed to let it out. “I mean sure, maybe it’s not entirely miserable for all of you, you actually speak to one another and have friends and go out for drinks or whatever. I’ve just got these statements and all the freaky stuff that happens in them. The others don’t talk to me unless it’s absolutely necessary, you speak to me more than they do but even then it’s not really all that much, and it’s just. Everyone’s lives seem to be at risk as of recent and there’s just this feeling that I should be doing something to prevent it, that this is my fault and there’s some way to fix it that I’m missing.” He sat back down, his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. “I just want to stop putting everyone in danger but I can hardly get away from this damned institute to take care of that.”

 

Martin sat back down next to Jon and was quiet for a long moment. “What do you mean?”

 

Jon peeked through his fingers at Martin, whose face was covered in a sort of contemplative worry. “What?”

 

“What do you mean you can hardly get away from the Institute?”

 

Jon sighed. “Nothing, it’s fine, I just… Nevermind.”

 

“No, what do you mean?” Martin pushed, and he scooted his chair closer to Jon’s as he asked.

 

“I meant that maybe if I could… Get away from the Institute, leave it behind somehow, maybe I could…. Stop putting people in danger. It would be easier on everyone if I just wasn’t around here.”

 

“Do you really think that?” Martin’s tone changed and Jon pulled his head from his hands to get a full look over at Martin, whose head was down, hands folded in his lap, something off about his demeanor that Jon didn’t recognize.

 

“Martin? What’s-”

 

“Do you really think just disappearing would make everything better for everyone else? Do you think that’s just going to make the Archives better? Sure, maybe the others aren’t all that talkative and have some attitude issues, but you think that means you should just leave?” Martin looked up and Jon saw that there were tears streaking down his face. “Leaving doesn’t just fix things, we’re going to be screwed whether you’re here or not, it’s not your fault. Look at Gertrude, she’s gone and things are still all messed up!” It was Martin’s turn to put his head in his hands, quiet crying coming through his fingers.

 

Jon froze for a moment, not entirely sure what to do, but pulled Martin’s chair closer to him and wrapping his arms around Martin’s shoulders in a somewhat awkward hug. “I’m….” He didn’t say anything else, didn’t need to as Martin turned into Jon’s shoulders, curling his arms into Jon’s chest. Jon barely noticed as tears began to roll down his own cheeks into Martin’s hair. “Martin, I…. I’m sorry, I just, with everything that’s been going on, it’s just-”

 

He was cut off by Martin pressing his lips against Jon’s, a hand coming up to hold his head in place until he pulled back. Martin got up and walked out of the room, leaving Jon alone at the table with his thoughts and feelings of confusion, but not in a negative way. 

 

He knew there was something he would have to say, but once again he was left in a situation where he just wanted to stop hurting the people he loved. 

**Author's Note:**

> I apparently can't be nice to characters in one fic and then not be really mean to them in the next fic. 
> 
> If you enjoyed me being mean to Jon and Martin, kudos/comment/subscribe for more content, this is only my second TMA fic and there will be more of it because I just fucking love this podcast and Jon/Martin is so good tbh. if you want to request something, you can go over to my tumblr @mercutiglo and send me an ask and in the descrip over there you can also find a way to support me if you enjoy my writing!


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